Field notes / combat rules
Status effects that change the fight
Warhammer Survivors status effects are not cosmetic damage riders. Burning makes enemies faster. Poison slows them. Oiled turns fire into a multiplier. Knowing the difference is the gap between a clean kite and a run-ending surround.
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The official status system is built around tradeoffs, not free damage. A status can help you kill an enemy and also make that enemy harder to escape. Read the movement effect before you add the damage type to your build.
How statuses work
A weapon or enemy can apply a status on hit, through an aura or through a pick-up. Negative statuses chip at health or change movement; positive statuses can heal, increase damage or make a target harder to kill. Some enemies are immune, and champions can be affected too.
The key strategic distinction is between damage over time and board control. Poisoned does both: it damages and slows. Burning only does the former while speeding the target up. A Burning pack is a timing problem as much as a damage source.
Status effect table
| Status | Type | Effect | Tactical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burning | Debuff | Deals fire damage over time. Burning enemies also move faster while they are ablaze. | Do not assume a burning pack is a slowed pack. The damage is useful, but the speed increase can make a surround worse. Pair it with Oiled for extra fire damage. |
| Poisoned | Debuff | Deals poison damage over time and slows the affected enemy. | Poison is the safer attrition status because it compresses enemy speed. Death Guard attacks and hazards can poison the player too, so keep a clean route out of fog. |
| Oiled | Debuff | Applied by Nuln Oil. Slows the target and increases the damage it takes from fire-based weapons. | Oiled is a setup status, not a damage plan by itself. Apply it first, then let Burning weapons do the work. The order matters more than the raw damage of either hit. |
| Frenzied / Berserk | Buff | A rage state that increases damage, health and movement speed for affected enemies. Tyranid Synapse can inflict Berserk on lesser bioforms. | Treat a rage wave as a positioning problem. Break the Synapse creature or wait out the surge instead of trying to out-damage a buffed blob in place. |
| Healing | Buff | Gradually restores lost health over time. Enemies can carry the effect, and champions can benefit from it too. | Against a healing elite, commit to a burst window or move on. Chip damage that gets regenerated is worse than clearing the surrounding swarm first. |
| Stunned | Debuff | Temporarily stops movement, but not attacks. | A stunned enemy can still shoot or swing. Do not stand in front of a stationary Loota or hazard simply because the status says stunned. |
| Warded | Buff | Granted by the Skaven Bell of Doom. Makes nearby Skaven more resilient and harder to kill. | Kill the Bell or leave its aura. Damage poured into a Warded pack is often damage you could have spent on the source of the buff. |
The Oiled and Burning combo
Nuln Oil applies Oiled: the target slows and takes more damage from fire. Burning weapons then deal fire damage over time. The order is the build. Oil first, then burn. If you burn first, you get a faster enemy and a weaker multiplier.
A practical fire build therefore needs three things: a reliable way to apply Oiled to a group, a fire weapon that hits the same group and enough movement to stay outside the accelerated pack. The oil is not just a damage amplifier; it is the slow that makes the fire safe to use.
Do not build Nuln Oil as a solo carry. It is a setup weapon. Its ceiling appears when another weapon converts Oiled into damage. The Nuln Oil file covers the reported Hourglass evolution.
Statuses on champions
Enemies can apply statuses to the player. Death Guard forces are particularly associated with poison, through ranged attacks, auras and stationary fog. The player can also gain positive states: Frenzon applies Berserk, increasing the frequency of weapon attacks, while Healing can regenerate health over time.
The tactical reading is simple: treat a negative status as a movement problem before it becomes a health problem. Leave the poison cloud, break line of sight from the source and do not trade hits while a damage-over-time effect is ticking.
Enemy buffs to respect
- Frenzied / Berserk: Tyranid Synapse can enrage lesser bioforms. Kill the Synapse source and the brood briefly stuns.
- Warded: the Skaven Bell of Doom makes nearby rats more resilient. Break the Bell instead of pouring damage into the buffed pack.
- Healing: a regenerating elite punishes chip damage. Commit to a burst window or move on to the swarm.
- Stunned: stops movement, not attacks. A stationary ranged enemy can still fire.
What is still unknown
Auroch has not published the full status list, numeric durations, immunity tables, stack limits or boss resistances. The status table above covers the effects with official descriptions. Treat any precise duration or “best status” ranking before launch as an estimate.
At launch, test the interactions that matter to your build: whether Oiled increases Burning damage from every source, whether poison stacks, and which bosses are immune. The bestiary tracks the enemy side, while thepick-up guide covers the field tools that apply or exploit statuses.
Sources and evidence
Editorial methodOfficial claims, press observations and community reports are kept separate. Where Auroch has not published a value, this guide says so instead of filling the gap.